Yahoo Site Takes Page From Print

It’s not uncommon for a publisher of a print magazine to give advertisers a heads up about upcoming themed editorial sections, but that’s still an unusual practice for an online-only site.

But Yahoo’s Shine, an online hub aimed at women between 25 and 55, has had some success drawing marketers to be exclusive advertisers for online “channels.”

In February, Walmart signed up for a channel called Make Home a Haven, and Procter & Gamble has sponsored other sections. The latest channel advertiser is the skin-care brand Nivea, which is advertising on a channel called Bikini 101 to promote its Goodbye Cellulite, Hello Bikini Challenge.

Brandon Holley, the editor in chief of Shine and a veteran of Hachette Filipacchi Media, said she adapted a magazine mind-set when she came to Yahoo. “I’m used to selling spring beauty, seasonal and topical events,” she said, adding that such areas that are topic- or time-driven have been “our biggest success.”

Bikini 101 features articles and video related to looking good on the beach. About one third of the content is written by staffers, one third by readers and another third is aggregated.

For Nivea, which is in the fourth year of the promotion (ads from TBWA\Chiat\Day support), having a flow of content related to the topic was a good way to engage women in the challenge, which takes place over a few weeks, said Nicolas Maurer, vp, marketing for Beiersdorf, which owns the Nivea brand. “Women have to go through the program, and it isn’t always easy to get buy-in at first, but we wanted to engage them for a long time,” he said. “This is like a series. It’s way more engaging than just running an ad campaign.”

It’s not uncommon for a publisher of a print magazine to give advertisers a heads up about upcoming themed editorial sections, but that’s still an unusual practice for an online-only site.

But Yahoo’s Shine, an online hub aimed at women between 25 and 55, has had some success drawing marketers to be exclusive advertisers for online “channels.”

In February, Walmart signed up for a channel called Make Home a Haven, and Procter & Gamble has sponsored other sections. The latest channel advertiser is the skin-care brand Nivea, which is advertising on a channel called Bikini 101 to promote its Goodbye Cellulite, Hello Bikini Challenge.

Brandon Holley, the editor in chief of Shine and a veteran of Hachette Filipacchi Media, said she adapted a magazine mind-set when she came to Yahoo. “I’m used to selling spring beauty, seasonal and topical events,” she said, adding that such areas that are topic- or time-driven have been “our biggest success.”

Bikini 101 features articles and video related to looking good on the beach. About one third of the content is written by staffers, one third by readers and another third is aggregated.

For Nivea, which is in the fourth year of the promotion (ads from TBWA\Chiat\Day support), having a flow of content related to the topic was a good way to engage women in the challenge, which takes place over a few weeks, said Nicolas Maurer, vp, marketing for Beiersdorf, which owns the Nivea brand. “Women have to go through the program, and it isn’t always easy to get buy-in at first, but we wanted to engage them for a long time,” he said. “This is like a series. It’s way more engaging than just running an ad campaign.”